By Kristen Hernandez
Pompano Beach – C. Robert Markham Elementary School is one of several significantly neglected and deteriorated schools within Pompano’s black neighborhoods. Thanks to a collective cry for help, Broward County School Board secured government funding to make improvements. The board unveiled design plans for a brand-new campus scheduled for completion by 2026. The design features different architectural elements, technological advances and better security.
“It’s about time something is done,” said Jennifer Walker, mother and former Markham student. “I’ll say it, the reason that school is deteriorated is because black kids go there. Most of the schools in black neighborhoods are falling apart and left neglected.”
Young Markham students have become used to eating breakfast and lunch inside stuffed classrooms, often cramped with up to 26 kids. At times, pieces of ceiling fall onto children’s notebooks while they’re learning. Kids are confined to small classrooms from breakfast through lunch, until recess.
The cafeteria is inaccessible and often becomes flooded because the ceiling is caving. Cafeteria staff sweat in portable kitchens with broken air conditioning, and without a fan. Teachers have lost valuable morning lesson-prepping time and gave up their lunch, or “woo-sah” hour, to care for their students.
Young ones sometimes have trouble carrying meal trays from food portables while balancing books and supplies. Little ones often drop their food trays along the journey to their classrooms. Remnants of the week’s meals, like Tuesday’s taco meat and yesterday’s corn, still linger on hallway floors. Students and staff dodge dropped trays and plastic sporks throughout the day.
“It’s an unacceptable situation we’re in,” said Mrs. Hatcher, 5th grade teacher, to the school board. “We’re totally neglected. Did we not know we wouldn’t have a cafeteria?”
Parents that attended the unveiling agree they like the prospective design, but demand more for their children. Markham’s campus size won’t increase but will offer students more.
“It’ll be a campus,” said Deborah Hixon, member of the Broward County School Board. “By the spring of 2026, it’ll be a brand-new campus.”
Design elements for Markham will feature a grand staircase leading to a sophisticated, partially covered outdoor eating space for children to spend mealtimes. In addition, the school will be technologically advanced with improved security.
“Classrooms in Broward run from 650-800 square feet. They’re smaller because technology is in the kids’ hands,” said Dr. Peter Licata, Superintendent of Schools for Broward County. “We don’t have infinite amounts of money. Kids don’t sit in rows anymore, they work together. We’d love bigger rooms, but can we fill them? What are you taking away for bigger classrooms? Technology is on the wall or in the student’s hands.”
Dr. Licata said that some Pompano Beach schools are suffering an under-enrollment problem. It’s been well over a decade since the board added new schools or increased capacity. But parents are primarily concerned with the surge of new apartments surrounding Markham elementary.
“There are 11 apartments coming up and 2 new buildings on MLK where Markham is located,” said Beverly Perkins, District 5 City Commissioner. “With all the developments coming, can the school handle it?”
The father of a young Markham student shared Perkin’s concerns. “Around the corner is Golden Acres, which is adding hundreds of units. There’s a casino up the street. There are 77 new houses coming and there will be 200 units on MLK. Can this new campus handle all this growth?”
Parents also brought up “star-bursting”, or the closing of schools in black neighborhoods and then transporting kids on a bus to “switch” them around the district. Dr. Licata assured parents they wouldn’t implement “such a disservice to the kids”. They’ve also promised teachers that the portable cafeteria will be working when they return from winter break.
“Thank you,” said Perkins, “because Markham has been underserved for years.” The prospective design can be viewed at bcpssmartfutures.com/markhamcommunitymeeting. Final discussions of new features with parents and teachers will happen on January 30th, 2024.
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